My church had a yard sale last weekend, from which I found and purchased a hamsa. Is something like this all right to wear or have in the house? I showed it to my priest and had him bless it after Mass, and he didn't say that there was anything wrong with it. However, I brought it to a Life in the Spirit meeting, and they said it was evil and should be disposed of. I'm not superstitious, but I definitely don't want to have something in the house that might be demonic. It's also a blessed object now, so would that make it okay to have it, or would I still get rid of it? Please help.

Answer by Catholic Answers on 6/12/2013:

Louise--

I don't know what "Life in the Spirit" is, but I'm afraid your friends there are mistaken. It is an Arabic symbol popular throughout the Middle East. Muslims call it the "hand of Fatimah" (for Muhammad's favorite daughter, Fatimah Zahra); Jews who adopted the symbol renamed it the "hand of Miriam" (for the sister of Moses and Aaron). The purpose of the hamsa was as a talisman against the evil eye. Using the hamsa for that purpose is superstitious. But it may simply be considered a pretty symbol, with no more intrinsic belief in its protective properties than the average Westerner gives to a rabbit's foot attached to his keychain.